NFL Quick Shots: Safety position a concern for Bears

Monday

Oct 21, 2013 at 5:36 PMOct 22, 2013 at 12:14 AM

After a half-decade of constant shuffling, the Bears finally settled on Major Wright and Chris Conte at safety. But that doesn’t mean they’re any good. It seemed every time the Redskins completed a big pass Sunday, Conte trailed the receiver by three yards. The nonexistent pass rush draws all the angst for Chicago’s leaky pass defense, but poor safety play is an even bigger problem.

The best answer

Peyton Manning’s passes fluttered often with the roof open in Indianapolis, but he still threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns. That’s nothing new, as Manning testily pointed out to a reporter who asked about his “wobbly” passes. “I throw a lot of wobbly passes,” Manning replied. “A lot of wobbly TDs, too.”

Best fan’s sign

Denver lost Peyton Manning’s homecoming game to the Colts, but won the sign war. SI.com’s Peter King wrote about a Broncos fan holding up a placard reading: “When you’re done w/ Luck, we’ll take him, too.”

The best analysis

Terry Bradshaw, when showing highlights of a Miami touchdown pass, said: “The best route in football folks, I don’t care how many years it’s been played, is the crossing route.” Someone tell that to the Chicago Bears before they play Green Bay. From Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have used crossing routes better than any team in the league, save perhaps Tom Brady’s Patriots, while the Bears have never thrown over the middle enough.

Relying on bad QB

It’s the first quarter and Cleveland throws incomplete on third-and-1 against Green Bay, then throws an interception on fourth-and-1, and I’m thinking: “Someone tell the Browns their quarterback is Brandon Weeden.” To paraphrase Clint Eastwood, a team’s got to know its limitations.

Sack masters

Mario Williams, with 10 sacks and a forced fumble that set up Buffalo’s winning field goal, suddenly looks worth the $100 million for six years the Bills gave him last year. ... Robert Mathis, known mostly as the guy on the other side of Dwight Freeney, has 11 sacks for the Colts and just tied Jayson Taylor’s NFL record with his 39th forced fumble on a sack.